Connecticut western news., 1887-07-27
CATCHING TURTLES.
How The Succulent Monsters @ Are Captured.
Exciting Scenes in the Moon
 light on the Gulf of Mexico

A man who has spent some time catching big turtles in the Gulf of Mex ico said to New York Star reporter: 'I don't know how you catch turtles up here, but down in the Gulf of Mexico We have an exciting time of it. Turtle hunting is a great sport, but good many peerle object toSit on account of the mosquitoes. Mosquitoes? We'll, I should remark. A man can't hunt tur- ties around the Gulf of Mexico unless he is thoroughbred fighter of mosquitoes.
 "Most of the green turtles we get down our way come from around the Chandeleur Islands, about forty miles fropl tho Mississippi coast. These islands make up string over forty miles long, and are covered by a chap paral as dense as any in Mexico. Not a tree grows upon them; only a little sea- weed. When the water is high the waves wash up to the thicket, but at low water fine strand, finer and larger than the beach at Galveston, is re- vcaled.
 l ''On some of these islands are num- Der of tishermen's huts or tents, and the southern end is occupied exclusively by the red snapper and bluefsh fishermen from New Orleans and Mobile. Most of the red snappers and pompano furnished to the east are captured by these fisher men. Along in July all the she turtles for miles around in the Gulf come up to the islands at night when the tide is low and lay their eggs in the sand.
 But Twas going to tell you how we catch turtles down there. It's the easiest thing in the world. Along in the night, when they como out of the gulf to lay their eggs or gambol on the sand or f1irt, you start out armed with a stout pole or young tree. When the turtle hears you coming he makes start for the sea, and you have to do some tall hustling to get there. A turtle is a sharp-eyed, and fine cared fish, and if he gets good start the chances are strong against hisA8cing caught. As rule there are more than one hunter, as one 1 would have great difficulty in managing g one of the big fellows. When you get nsa.ta theturtle just shove yQnzsssanline under him and turn him over on his back. A turtle is knocked completely out when he is lying on his back, and is unable to do anything but paw the ail and kick. Some of them weigh soc and 800 pounds, so you see one man couldn't very well handle such noun. tain. Even with two or three the hun ters have to possess considerable dexteri- ty in order to throw the monster If the turtle kept still until you adjusted your pole, and let you tug away at him, it would be all right; but he keeps on the run and makes quick and warm work for the hunt CTS. An SO0-pound turtle can get over sand at an amazing rate, and when you take into consideration the fact that this 800 pounds of solid matter is going at an express train gait you can readily perceive that it requires practiced hand to capture him.
 ''As I said before, It's warm work and it is made warmer by the way you have to dress. Down in that chappare are billions and billions of mosquitoes They are these giant, gray-backed fel lows with peaks on them like sharp pointed darning needles. They come ir clouds and run their stingers through tanned rhinoceros hide. Ordinary cloth ing is no protection against them. Tht hunter has to take the very thickest can vas, old sails or something like that, and coat it thickly with coal tar or coal oil Mosquitoes don't like coal oil much, bu if they are hungry their appetite doesn' stand on ceremony or epicurean taste.